I know that some people are in jail for this and that penalities vary state to state, but what typically happens to the man or woman with no criminal history who is stopped by the police for a traffic citation and the officer notices a dime bag on the car seat? What happens to them? Wrist slap or seriously bad mojo?
Is there a site that lsits state penalties?
Who ever it is, they should get seriously bitch slapped for leaving a dime bag on the car seats.
I suspect that the authorities care more about where you got it than you having it. I know a few folks who have recieved a slap on the wrist and probation/supervision here in Illinois for having small amounts. (I guess it depends on what a small amount is though :))
In Ontario, Canada, Marijuana is now essentially decriminalized, i.e., the court will not convict on possession of a small quantity, I think 20 grams or less. So a woman has reported her pot stolen to the police, and they’re taking it seriously. Sorry I can’t find a cite.
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?wtm_view=&Group_ID=4516
A dime bag would usually be a slap on the wrist for the first offense, but see the link above before you get all wild and reckless.
If you’re employed and work under DOT regulations, there might be additional sanctions beyond what the court does with you. I don’t know exactlyy how that works, but I have a couple of friends who have been FedEx drivers for many years, and they quit smoking pot because of this many years ago.
Anybody know more about that?
Depends on where you are and how the cop feels about you. Could range from a fine to jail time.
In SF I saw hippie kids passing a bong sitting in a circle on the side walk, daytime in the middle of pedestrian traffic on Haight street about a block from Gloden Gate park.
http://www.teamster.org/sh/FactSheets/dotdrugtruckbus.pdf
Ringo,
Basically, anyone who drives professionally in a “safety sensitive position” is subject to random drug testing, as well as drug testing pre-employment and for cause - after an accident or if your supervisor thinks you may be under the influence based on his or her observation.
I worked my way thru college as a city bus driver and have also worked for companies that subcontracted transportation services for city bus companies. In my experience, marijuana use is the most common form of drug use caught by random testing, because THC can stay in body for weeks after use. It’s fat soluble.
City bus drivers, school bus drivers, garbage truck drivers, and UPS drivers are subject to RDT, as are most if not all interstate truckers. Hazardous materials carriers ( gasoline, fuel oil, toxic chemicals, explosives, oxygen etc.) definitely are.
Here in FL… above 20 grams its automatically a felony, and the state will use all necessary means to prosecute, even if you’re a first time offender.
Below 20 grams is a (2nd degree I believe) misdemeanor and usually you’ll just get a fine; possibly community service, and possibly (brief) probation.
Of course, “what usually happens” depends most on the officer who finds your dime bag…
In Washington State, possession of over 40 grams is a felony (though my county prosecutor won’t usually file a felony charge for less than 60 grams).
Possession of under 40 grams is a gross misdemeanor, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 24 hours in jail and $250 fine (both can be higher, of course).
In Vermont they’d take it and send you on your way if you are not in immediate danger to your person or anyone else. My cousin is a VT state trooper. Granted if you open your trunk exposing 500 pounds of Northern Lights you may have a slight problem…
Most of my friends who have got busted for pot only got a slap on the hand. Of course we’re talking small amounts. Under an ounce usually. They take the pot away and sometimes will ticket you.
Now another friend of mine had bought 3 ounces of pot to take back with him to Maine. Apparently prices were extremely high there and he didn’t want to pay. So he was planning on taking it with him for his own personal use. The night before he was supposed to leave, he gets busted with it. They arrest him and he spends the night in jail. He ended up only paying a fine and not doing anymore jail time. Why? Because he was still a minor and the judge took pity on him.
“notices a dime bag”
Ah, what is that? Ten cents worth?
A dime bag costs $10.
it’s called a “teenth” in the uk, as in “sixteenth”, half of an eighth.
here you’d be amazingly unlucky to get anything done to you for that much.
police have better things to do, we know that and so do they.
its a shame the politicians dont.
No, they aren’t the same thing. A ‘teenth’ is a sixteenth of an ounce. A dime bag is any amount that costs $10. Not interchangeable.
The quantity of a dime bag tends to range from 1/16oz to 1/8oz depending on location and quality of the marijuana. It’s about one-to-three medium-sized joints.
As to the OP, the real-world consequences of possession really do depend on the officer involved and the area of the country. Attitudes seem to vary drastically even within a single state. In New Orleans, they’ll most likely just take your pot if it’s a reasonably small amount. In rural areas, it’s not so pretty. A guy I met a met a couple of times was once caught in tiny Bayou Vista with just rolling papers - no weed, but then no tobacco, either. Stupid cops hauled him in for parapharnalia for something he had bought at a damn convenience store.
A few years ago, I was on a Greyhound driving through Mississippi. The bus was pulled over by the police and drug dogs were brought out to smell the luggage.
After a minute or two, I could hear a bit of commotion outside. The bus driver stepped back on the bus and said “They found something,” just loud enough for a few of us to hear.
My heart skipped a beat as I remembered the resin-encrusted pipe in my luggage. Uh oh. I was on the edge of my seat for about 15 minutes, then finally the cops just walked away and the bus was allowed to leave.
When I got home, I could tell that they had definitely been in my luggage, but my pipe was still there. I guess they didn’t figure it was worth the hassle.
I really don’t think there is any reasonable answer to this. Depending on where it happens, who the cop is, how the interaction between the cop and the driver goes, there are too many variables.
When I liveed in DC, I often smoked pot with a cop friend. He would never bust anybody for something like that, unless the person pissed him off for some other reason.
They are as although a lot of people would expect 1.6-1.7g for £10, dealers will give you anything from 0.7 upwards for £10, it all depends on the dealer and how much you have a good relationship with them.
In some areas a teenth or tens is 1g, in others its actually a teenth in the sense that its a 1/16th of an Oz so its pretty much identical to a dime bag, its just we call it that because traditionally most people see themselves as getting a “teenth” because they’re paying half the price of an 1/8th and expect to get half the weight.
It totally and completely depends on who the cop is. Lots of them are very lenient on pot smokers because they realize the futility of the failed pot laws. On the other hand if you get some kind of crazed drug crusader things can get really ugly, even if your states laws are not particularly harsh.
more like $10.